Ex-Va. 1st lady makes final written plea to appeals court

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell has made her final written arguments to a federal appeals court that is reviewing her public corruption convictions.

In a brief filed Wednesday night, McDonnell’s attorneys renewed their claim that federal bribery law applies differently to her than it does to her husband because she was not an elected official.

Former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife were convicted last year of doing favors for a former vitamin executive in exchange for more than $165,000 in gifts and loans.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Bob McDonnell’s convictions earlier this summer, but he remains free while he appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. The federal appeals court will conduct a hearing in Maureen McDonnell’s case Oct. 29.